Allergies cause you dizziness, nauseous and cold sweat?

I posted this on the anxiety board since that's the latest take on DH's weird symptoms. At first it was thought to be allergy-related, but he's been taking meds for that, and he still gets the weird symptoms. It's a long post, so if you have a few minutes to spare, I'd love to hear anyone's interpretation of these symptoms.

Here's a bit of history:

DH dx'd ADHD in 2001. Takes Adderall XR for two years -- great improvement of symptoms, yahoo, life is good again. Suddenly, husband starts having "dizzy spells" that are accompanied by nausea, a feeling that he's going to lose his bowels, and breaking out in a cold sweat. These come and go, with no apparent pattern for several months, and finally after my urging he goes to see the GP. They tell him it's allergy related, rx Flonase and send him on his merry way.

The episodes subside for a while with the Flonase, but not completely. Then one day while driving to work, he gets that funny feeling again and wakes up on the other side of the boulevard with his bumper entangled in a chain link fence. PTL he is not injured and neither is anyone else for that matter. The angels were definitely watching over him that day. He waits to tell me about the little mishap until 9pm that NIGHT!!! I call the GP the next morning, he says to take him to the ER. So we go. He gets the once over, everything looks o.k. (labs, bp, EKG, etc.) and is referred to a neuro with instructions for no driving until cleared by that doc. Temporarily loses license to drive (nightmare in and of itself).

Neuro sends him for brain MRI and EEG. All normal. Refers him to cardio.

Cardio does EKG, 24-hr Holter monitor, treadmill stress test. All normal. Refers him to cardio-electrophysiologist.

Cardio specialist does tilt-table test. He FAILS faster than anyone they've ever seen. Doc asks about meds he's on. Tells him about the Adderall XR and he has to quit the med for a few days, then return for another tilt-table test. This time he passes the test. The chalk it up to the medication, tell him to discontinue it, clear him to drive, life goes back to the chaos it was before meds and he's happy.

So that was 2004. In 2005, he has another big episode in the airport while on our way to Hawaii with our 3 kids. He's tense, uptight and stressed -- snapping at the kids, confused about where to go with the luggage, nervous about going through the whole security screening circus. He starts to feel dizzy and nauseous and actually has to lie down on the floor next to the security line (neuro told him he'd better do that unless he wants to faceplant on the floor). You can imagine the attention that got us! Security was very helpful, but what a scene it caused!

Jump to late 2006 and he's still been having these dizzy spells, only more frequently now. Hmmm, can't really blame the Adderall XR now, can we? He isn't real good about taking the Flonase but religiously takes Claritin for nasal allergies. I drag him to the GP to rehash the symptoms and get another crack at the problem, this time I sit in on the appointment to make sure he doesn't forget to tell him anything.

We find out that the spells happen several times a week, and in a variety of settings: (not in his car, yet, thank G*d!), sitting at his desk reading a magazine, playing basketball, walking across a room, in meetings, working outside in the yard. No pattern.

Now I CAN tell you that DH is one who tends to ruminate over things. A LOT. His old pdoc once remarked that when DH comes in the room sometimes he looks like he's ready to explode -- you can just see how tight he's wound from his expression and body language. So I do think he has anxiety issues. When he went off the Adderall XR, the pdoc wanted to prescribe Pamelor -- I actually filled it, but DH was so paranoid about taking ANYTHING that might cause him to lose his license again, he refused it.

The GP wanted to rx another med (I think it was an SSRI, but my brain's a bit foggy right now) but DH felt it was allergy related, like the GP had told him way back when. GP agreed to just rx Allegra-D, with the understanding that DH would come back if the spells kept happening. Which they are. He had one tonight while I was sitting talking with him. He didn't get dizzy this time, but nauseous, pale, cold sweat, passed a lot of gas (feeling of bowels moving, I guess). And he's been taking the Allegra-D twice a day as instructed.

Also, he emailed me today to let me know he had an episode at 3:30am, 7:00am and 10:45am today. Just sitting or lying down.

So what is going on here?

Thanks for your patient reading, and for any thoughts you have on our little mystery.

I just left a message for his GP and will ask for a referral to either an allergist or ENT. That's the only avenue we haven't pursued (aside from the psychiatrist, whom he doesn't want to deal with anymore (ha!)).

Lets help your husband! I think your on track with possible food allergies, do a search on ((wheat allergy)) and ((Celiac disease)) is caused by a protein, and has many syptoms including bloating, bowles trobles, dizzyness, fainting.vertigo ,ringing ears. I hope this will Help you some!

My husband is 44. I think some people can have chronic anxiety and not realize it because it's under the surface and is just the way they've been all their life. At least that's how I think it is with my husband.
In your husband's case, coud it be due to low blood sugar that can also come with diabetes (does it happen when he's late or overdue to eat something)? My husband's father and sister are diabetic and if they don't eat at regular intevals, they can feel bad (although not necessarily with those symptoms). My husband's blood sugar was fine when he had all his tests when he first was being evaluated, so I don't think that's his problem...
A tilt table test involves being strapped to a table in an upright position, then you are tilted back a few degrees. The way I understand it, this causes a drop in blood pressure and you eventually pass out. For some people, if you don't pass out after a certain amount of time, they inject you with a medication that normally induces the blood pressure drop and then the fainting. All of this is timed and then compared to what is known to be within normal ranges. In my husbands case, he blacked out within a few seconds the first time around, whereas most people take 20 minutes or more to get to that point. His response was blamed on the Adderall XR he was on, because when he retook the test after being off the medication for a few weeks, he passed it with flying colors.
He's got an appointment now with an ear/nose/throat doc to rule out any inner ear problems. If that's negative, then I'm going to push for him to try something to address the anxiety I KNOW he has.

 

Hi Amfr

I just stumbled upon yout post

I can relate to feeling faint and ending up on the floor due to panic attacks. This was before I learn't to deal with panic. But I didn't experience loose bowels though.

It's been a week since you posted. How are you now ??? Have you seen the cardiologist yet.

Let me know how you are going.

Debbie